


crazy together | byeler one-shot

by lemonave



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Anxiety, Bisexual Mike Wheeler, Boys Kissing, Gay Panic, Gay Will Byers, Homophobia, Homophobic Language, Inspired by Stranger Things (TV 2016), Internalized Homophobia, M/M, Panic Attacks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-05
Updated: 2019-07-05
Packaged: 2020-06-09 18:56:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,135
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19481965
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lemonave/pseuds/lemonave
Summary: "He started again to pull at the loose string, anything to ground him. Anything to make him feel like he wasn’t floating out of his body and was also crashing through the floor. Hot tears he hadn’t noticed were flowing down his face and the world turned to static. He wished he wasn’t so familiar to this feeling of a million thoughts flowing in and out of his brain a million miles a minute. He didn’t even notice the boy running up the stairs, dashing towards the bed to grab him by the shoulders and try to help him up. The world was loud and full and cramped and hot and-Mike felt a hand on his chest pressing softly into his sweater. He gasped and attempted a deep breath in through his nose and out through his mouth. His fuzzy vision met Will’s tearful gaze and he collapsed into his shoulder."Mike Wheeler has a panic attack due to all the shit going down in Hawkins and beautiful boy Will Byers comes to the rescue with undying affection and love.





	crazy together | byeler one-shot

Mike was sitting silently on his bed, fidgeting with the loose string hanging off his sweater as his heartbeat began to become more and more erratic and noticeable. He anxiously rubbed his arm and sighed, falling back onto the bed, pressing his palms over his eyes and pressing them softly into his cheeks. it had been thirty minutes since he talked to Will over the walkie and invited him to come sleepover. He wanted him to come over more than anything, so he could comfort and console him, tell him everything was okay and that he would be there for him no matter what. But this was something he could hardly contemplate in his head without panicking into a fit of gasps and short breaths. His infatuation with Eleven was surely a thing of the past, but he loved her all the same as a friend he could confide in. But that empty space in his chest grew wide and cold, seeping through his skin and through his sweater. He remembered this feeling only once before: when he saw the most important thing in his life get dragged out from a lake.

Mike unconsciously gasped and grabbed his chest, feeling the tingly pit of anxiety grow in his stomach. Ever since his first encounter with the upside-down, his anxiety had gotten worse. Much worse. And despite his father’s urges to 'Suck it up and be a man', his mother secretly took him weekly to a therapist and gave him his dosage of medicine before bed. But things were far from okay. Just this week he had missed two days of school due to prolonged panic attacks only Will Byers could save him from.

Will Byers. He gasped again and felt his chest tighten suddenly. He grabbed it as his face flushed. He felt his stomach drop and every hair on his body stand on end. He had never realized that he was the only one who stared at the back of his head in the classroom, imaging how his skin would feel against his. How his hair would feel combing through his fingers. Ge thought everyone thought the same thoughts. He thought everyone felt the same way towards anyone special to them. he didn’t know what he was feeling or what to do with these feelings. He gasped again as a single tear fell down his face and onto his hot neck.

He started again to pull at the loose string, anything to ground him. Anything to make him feel like he wasn’t floating out of his body and was also crashing through the floor. Hot tears he hadn’t noticed were flowing down his face and the world turned to static. He wished he wasn’t so familiar to this feeling of a million thoughts flowing in and out of his brain a million miles a minute. He didn’t even notice the boy running up the stairs, dashing towards the bed to grab him by the shoulders and try to help him up. The world was loud and full and cramped and hot and-

Mike felt a hand on his chest pressing softly into his sweater. He gasped and attempted a deep breath in through his nose and out through his mouth. His fuzzy vision met Will’s tearful gaze and he collapsed into his shoulder.

The rest was blurry sobs and a small hand rubbing circles into his back and whispering countless choruses of 'It's okay, shh, you’re okay' into his ear. His vision cleared and his heart calmed after ten minutes of mental torture and he tightened his grip on Will’s arm.

“Mike?” Will shakily rubbed mike’s arm and met his bleary gaze. “Has your brain calmed down a bit?”

Mike slowly nodded, not once letting his eyes part from Will’s steady and strong gaze. Will pulled his best friend into his arms and held him so tightly Mike thought he would never let go. Mike’s gut-wrenching sobs became soft tears into Will’s plaid shoulder.

“I-I’m so, so sorry Will,” Mike squeaked out, choking on his breath. “I’m so sorry.”

Will pulled slowly back from his embrace and looked Mike straight into his deep brown eyes.

“You never have to sorry Mike. Never. Okay?” Will slowly took a shaky hand up and down Mike’s arm.

“Okay,” Mike whispered.

“Will you come downstairs to the couch with me, Mike?” Will reached for Mike’s cold hand ever so softly. “Would that be okay?”

Mike nodded solemnly and grabbed Will’s hand as he led him downstairs to the basement. He quickly put in a calm, comedic movie to help mike drown out the chatter in his brain as he had been for the past couple nights he had spent over at Mike’s this week. He knew that treating someone like glass was always painful -- he learned that the hard way -- but Mike was already at his breaking point. He rushed back to the couch where Mike laid frozen and stiff, his mouth hanging open slightly and his eyes puffy and red. Will grabbed a wool blanket from off the ground and wrapped it around Mike, tucking him in like a swaddled baby. Will’s heart was pounding in a much less erratic way, but nonetheless terrifying, as he affectionately pushed mike’s hair back behind his ear, curling it slightly with his finger and relishing in this sweet, small physical contact. As he went to pull his hand away, Mike quickly pressed his hand on top of Will’s, connecting it to his cheek, rubbing it ever so slightly as he sunk into Will’s hand, sighing and shutting his bloodshot eyes. Will almost jumped away but thankfully kept his grasp locked on Mike’s warm, damp cheek, holding with a strength he never knew he could possess. As Mike sank farther into his hold, he reached for Will’s other hand and tugged on his fingers. After a few moments of playing with them, he laced his fingers with Will’s ice-cold ones, holding tightly. Will’s face was a blushing mess and he softly breathed in short breaths. Both of their gazes met and Will felt the entire world around them disappear. All was just warm and brown and soft and wonderful. He never wanted it to end. But he wouldn’t take advantage of Mike, not like this. He sat down close to him letting both of his hands fall to his sides, pressing his body close to Mike’s. Mike followed suit, slowly letting his head drop to Will’s shoulder.

As the movie progressed the Mike that Will knew so well began to resurface. His breathy laugh came back when a character said a hilarious joke and small comments about the plot were met with responses from Will. Mike started to shift his weight around naturally, not letting Will be uncomfortable or letting his head leave his shoulder. He tucked his hands between his legs, something he had always done for comfort in an anxious time, and let his feet dangle off the end of the couch. He focused solely on the movie, giving all the attention he could muster so not to let his mind wander to “What if”s and terrible scenarios. He was so focused he almost didn’t notice Will’s arm snaking down his side and when he laid his hand cautiously down next his leg.

Mike's breath hitched slightly and he, trying his hardest to be casual and unassuming, untucked his hand from between his legs and shifting it towards Will’s outstretched one. He didn’t dare look down as he reached his pinky out to touch Will’s, a soft reminder that Will was here and he was too, that things were real and not ruined and terrible. He rubbed his pinky against Will’s slowly, trying to show all the love he had been hiding through just one finger. When Will couldn’t wait any longer he pulled against Mike’s hand and intertwined their fingers for the second time. Mike’s hand was so, so soft and warm, like the way Will imagined his full, perfect lips against his skin. His hand shook slightly from the aftershocks of the panic attack and Will squeezed it lightly to console him. Warmth and comfort washed over Will, like when Johnathan would come in to show him a new song or when Eleven gave him a big hug after Hopper drove them both to school. But this warmth spread from his hand throughout his body, covering him in a glowing light of pure love. He felt Mike’s head rise from his shoulder slowly as he turned to face him.

Will turned his head and was instantly met with those gorgeous brown eyes he could never get out of his head. Mike breathed warm air onto the tip of Will’s nose, and the noise from the movie grew fuzzy and far away. Will stared at him in all his beauty, noticing the freckles they used to try and count during recess, the scar on his chin from the time he defended him, and his parted, reddened lips so, ungodly close to his. Timidly Will reached his thumb up to meet Mike’s mouth and stroked his bottom lip slowly. As he had before Mike fell into Will’s palm, and Will felt the entire world collapse around them. Mike was the world, his world. Will mimicked Mike’s droopy eyelids as he slowly inched forward to meet Mike’s lips. They stayed like that, so close and vulnerable, for what seemed like hours. Then mike quickly grabbed will’s head from behind and pulled him in.

When their lips met both boys let out hot breaths they didn’t realize they were holding. Mike melted into Will’s soft, warm lips and a fire lit up in his stomach. He could barely focus on what was actually happening and his mind was a hazy mess. He was so disoriented by his emotions he slowly pulled back, meeting Will’s gaze. Will’s face was burning with blush and his hair was slightly disheveled by Mike’s cold fingers. Mike massaged at Will’s scalp tenderly, catching his breath and staring deep into Will’s perfect, absolutely perfect hazelnut eyes. Not wasting another second Will rapidly cupped Mike’s face and kissed him again, with more force and passion than before. Mike tugged on Will’s hair lightly as a small noise escaped Will’s covered mouth.

This noise sent goosebumps down Mike’s arms and made him lift his other arm to Will’s head to weave it through his smooth, silky hair. Without hesitation, he dragged his tongue against Will’s bottom lip gently. He felt Will quiver under him and he pulled him closer. Their chests were practically against each other now, both wishing they could be closer and closer, as close as possible until they melted into each other. Mike started to slow the kiss as he timidly started to suck on Will’s bottom lip, letting his tongue explore Will’s mouth, every inch of it. He slid over his teeth, the roof of his mouth, and soon after their tongues collided. Mike couldn’t hold back the moan that escaped his lips and Will just scooted closer, begging for more. Will’s tongue travelled its way to Mike’s lips, caressing them gently before taking Mike’s bottom lip in between his teeth, dragging it through in a sultry bite. God, Mike’s lips were perfect. They were chapped and rough, and everything Will had dreamed of. But it was so much better than every guilty daydream and sweet vision he could remember. It was raw and real. And he felt unstoppable with Mike succumbing to his embrace. Mike soon let his fingers glide down will’s spine and rubbed his hand up and down his back. Will shook with chills of pleasure, as he let a small moan fill Mike’s mouth. Mike let fingers trail further down to Will’s uncovered back, in between his shirt and waistband. He let his fingers dance around the uncovered skin, wanting to touch every bit of Will he could. Will slowly took his lips from mike’s and connected their foreheads. They both continued to rub each other lovingly, keeping their eyes shut as they gasped for air. Will felt like his body was aflame, but it wasn’t painful like when the shadow monster consumed his mind and thoughts. It was the most beautiful, safe feeling in the world and he would do anything to hold on to it.

And nothing needed to be said. And nothing was left unsaid. Both boys for the first time in so long felt something so unfamiliar and so desired: safety. Even in a terrifying, traditional town like Hawkins, where gigantic Demogorgons and Shadow Monsters ran rampant and even scarier fathers and mothers let hate spill from their lips, this embrace was safe. And despite all the crazy, they were together, just as they had promised.

**Author's Note:**

> this is my first ao3 post wow what a time! i wrote this a whhhillllleee back in 2017 i think jeez, right after season 2 had come out and my budding love for byeler was getting TOO STRONG.
> 
> season 3 just came out and i cannot wait for more content of my good bois. i hope you enjoy and please tell me if you do i would much appreciate you have no idea.
> 
> thanks so much for reading :) xoxo aves


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